NIA questions Islamic State operative in Manila

NEW DELHI, MAY 04,
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has questioned a woman from the Philippines, said to be a key operative of the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) who was ordering Indian cadres to carry out terror and subversive activities in the country, the agency spokesperson said on Thursday. A team of NIA officials questioned the suspect in Manila.
In constant touch
Giving details of the overseas investigations, the spokesperson said that during the NIA’s probe of IS-related cases registered in 2015 and 2016, it was found that three accused persons — Mohd Naser (Tamil Nadu), Mohd Sirajuddin and Adnan Hasan (Karnataka) — were in online contact with the woman identified as Karen Aisha Al Muslimah alias Karen Aisha Hamidon on platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram.
It further came on record that Karen was also in online contact with many other Indians.
The questioning of the three accused, who have been since named in a chargesheet, and data retrieved from the digital devices seized from them at the time of their arrest had revealed her name.
Karen is a resident of Barangay Ususan village of Taguig city in Manila using mobile numbers +639300183542 and +639165017304 and is one of the most active IS operatives based in the Philippines between 2014 and December 2015, the NIA said.
She was running different Facebook pages, WhatsApp groups and Telegram channels for motivating, radicalising and instigating her online associates from different countries including India to fight on behalf of the IS in conflict zones, the spokesman said, adding she was also in telephonic contacts with many other Indian nationals.
In order to collect the evidence against the accused persons and ascertaining her role in the crime, requests under Letters Rogatory (LR), issued by the special courts of NIA, in Delhi and Jaipur were forwarded through proper channel to the competent judicial authority, Philippines, seeking legal assistance in the investigation.
She was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippines on October 11, 2017 and she has been charged for incitement to rebellion.
In pursuance of the LR, a two-member team of the NIA was in Philippines from April 24 to 28 during which she was questioned at length.